The Movies that Matter Festival will be in The Hague from March 24 to April 1. With more than 80 feature films and documentaries and the  exhibition House of Activist in the Atrium of the City Hall.

Come to the Atrium between March 11 to March 24 & between March 27 to April 3 for the Exhibition House of Activist. Meet the activists, get to know the films, be inspired and leave your message to them and see which film or documentairy you would like to see in the Filmhuis, Pathe Buitenhof and Theater aan het Spui. This expo is produced in cooperation with De Designpolitie and Atrium City Hall. This exhibition is part of Justice Peace The Hague.

Movies that Matter Festival
From 24 March – 1 April 2023, the Movies that Matter Festival will again take place in The Hague and satellite locations across the Netherlands. For nine days, urgent, moving and inspiring films will be shown followed by after talks with filmmakers, experts and activists.

In the Activist programme, you will see eight gripping documentaries on activists and their work from around the world. This programme at the Movies that Matter Festival is entirely dedicated to (films about) human rights defenders. The activists will be guests at the festival for Q&As and meetings with the audience. In addition, a personal impact and networking programme is organised for each of them, with appointments with NGOs, media and organisations in the Netherlands relevant to them. This programme is made possible with financial support from, among others, the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Nationale Postcode Lotterij. 

This year – after a online and a hybrid edition – Movies that Matter is back in full force in the theatres of Filmhuis Den Haag, Theater aan het Spui and Pathé Buitenhof. During the upcoming edition, urgent, moving and inspiring films will be shown in The Hague and sattelite locations across the country for nine days and nights.

In a polarising society, dialogue and encounters are more important than ever. With the selected films and in-depth programmes, the Movies that Matter Festival aims to contribute to breaking down walls in society and encourage connection between people. This year’s selection includes films on international topics such as the situations in Iran and Ukraine. But it also focuses, for example, on the commemorative year of Slavery.

This year, the Movies that Matter Festival presents over eighty beautiful, exciting and moving feature films and documentaries, and there are numerous inspiring talks, performances and Q&As. And like every edition, several directors, activists, thinkers and experts will be present at the festival.

Competitions
The Movies that Matter Festival presents a total of seven awards in different competitions. Activist screens documentaries on the work and lives of human rights defenders. Camera Justitia zooms in on the importance of the rule of law and the fight against impunity. The third competition programme is Dutch Movies Matter, with Dutch feature films and documentaries that open eyes for human rights. 

Awards
Furthermore, international juries will choose a winner for the Grand Jury Documentary and Grand Jury Fiction, where cinematography and content go hand in hand. Three films are eligible for the Students’ Choice Award, chosen by a student jury from Leiden University. In addition, this year the Shorts Award will be presented, for the best short film. All visitors can also vote for the films they visited. The film with the highest score will win the Audience Award and can be seen again during the Best of #MtMF23 day on 1 April. 

Themes
The films in Take on Future show the dilemmas of the transition to a sustainable future. What will it take to accelerate this? Take on Love is a colourful, diverse and scintillating themed programme about the right to be yourself and love who you want. Take on Power presents films about unequal power relations. And about people taking on forces and structures that seem bigger than themselves. This edition we add Take on Mental Health, with films about the many facets of mental health.

Justice Peace The Hague
The organisation Just Peace gives peace and justice an important place in the hearts and actions of our residents, entrepreneurs, and organisations in the city of Peace & Justice, The Hague.
www.justpeacethehague.com